


Love is Not a Because

by Pippinpaddleopsicopolis (Barnable)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Badass Suki (Avatar), Broken Bones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Missing Scene, Nightmares, POV Suki (Avatar), Post-Canon, Sokka (Avatar) Has Chronic Pain, Sokka (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Sokka (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnable/pseuds/Pippinpaddleopsicopolis
Summary: The moment Sokka fell off the airship was the last time he felt no physical pain. Deep down, Suki knows there's nothing she can do to take all the hurt away from him, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to try.(Or, five times Suki comforted Sokka, and one time he comforted her.)
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Sokka, Toph Beifong & Suki
Comments: 14
Kudos: 63





	Love is Not a Because

Sokka was cradling his leg.

The moment she was able to see them, Suki smiled and Sokka smiled back, but he was cradling his leg. He was lying on his side on the top of an airship, his left knee pulled up to his chest and his eyes shiny even from a distance. Within moments of them making eye contact, Sokka used his left arm to try and push himself up, but it didn’t support him for long before he yanked it away for unguessable reasons and crashed back down on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” shouted Suki, desperate for an answer. They didn’t have many options left. “Sokka!”

“Hold it steady, we’re coming!” Sokka called back, rolling his right arm on the ground like he hadn’t already doubled over in apparent pain.

On his face, Sokka held a look that was nothing if not determined, though the tears which rolled down his cheeks when he hopped to his foot—yes, _hopped_ to his _foot_ —said he was in more pain than he wanted to reveal. He said something to Toph, but it was unclear what exactly it was. She’d barely grabbed his arm before the airship lurched and he stumbled back to his knees, crying out and cursing when a sob managed to escape through his lips. Suki fought with the airship when a gust of wind threatened to pull it away from her friends, though her gaze barely left them for a second.

Toph was saying something to Sokka then, but Suki couldn’t hear a thing from how far away she was. For a moment, neither of them moved, but then Toph tried to pull Sokka to his feet and he did his best to follow only to end up falling down yet again and yanking away when her hand touched his left shoulder. Sokka bowed his head in front of him, his shudders visible even from a distance as Toph clung tightly to his right arm. Suki swallowed hard, staring at the crashing ships around them. They were running out of time.

“You have to hurry!” she cried. “Come on!”

“We can’t!” Toph sounded ready to cry herself, and the way the light reflected on her cheeks said she already might have. Her fingers gripped around Sokka’s shaking arm, her head turned in the same direction. “Something happened to Sokka. I tried to help him, but he’s really hurt. He can’t move! _Suki!_ ”

The scariest part was how quiet Sokka was. Normally, he’d be shouting out orders in a position like that, but he was utterly silent aside from heavy, visibly trembling breaths. He said something, but he was too far away, and his voice was too low, so all Suki knew was that it made Toph shake her head and cling to his arm tighter. Suki barely watched the interaction go down, too busy trying to figure out the logistics of getting both Toph and Sokka on to her airship to safety. It was doable, but they’d only have a minute or maybe two depending on the wind and the ships around them.

Knowing there was no other way, Suki moved as close as she could and timed the wind to the best of her ability before running from her airship to theirs. Only when she was standing right in front of him could Suki see that Sokka was truly almost sobbing, tears streaming down his cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. Toph was still clinging to his arm, not moving even when Suki let her know she was there and offered a hand. She offered one to Sokka too, but Sokka did nothing but shake his head frantically, a wheezing breath escaping before his words.

“You have to go.” He almost choked on his words, turning his gaze to look at the girls. Suki opened her mouth to confirm what he was saying, to protest if she was right, but he cut her off. “Suki, _go_. You don’t have time for this.”

“Just take my hand.” Toph was holding both of them at that point, but Sokka wouldn’t return the gesture, only shaking his head again. “Sokka, _please_. I’m not leaving you here. You have to come with us. _Now_.”

“I can’t. Just _go_ , Suki! You and Toph have to go before it’s too late.”

“We’re not going without you!” shouted Toph, squeezing his arm even tighter. At that point, it looked like she was going to end up dragging him along with her. “Just get up. Please. Please get up, Sokka. We’re not leaving you here. We can’t.”

“Toph, please. I can’t— _Suki_.” The fact that the pleading look in his eyes was essentially begging to die hurt more than the fact that all three of them very well could. “We fell twice, and I— I think I broke it, Suki. I can’t stand up. I can’t. Just go. Please. Just leave me. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay. Just hold on, okay? Please. For me.”

Suki lifted Toph right up into her arms, moving as quickly as she could to get the younger girl into the functioning airship. The whole thing lurched when they jumped on, the wind catching it and leaving them separated from Sokka. It was the need to get back to him that drove Suki more than anything else. That clouded her thoughts until she didn’t even know what she was doing, just that she needed it done so she could get back to him before it was too late. Somehow, she made it happen, and within two minutes, she was back at Sokka’s side.

Again, he begged her to let him go. He pleaded with her the entire time she hauled him over her shoulder, crying for her to put him down and let him fall because it wasn’t worth the risk. Because, in his mind, it was better for Suki to definitely survive than maybe both of them. She ignored every choked, sobbing word he said as he dragged his toes along the surface of the ship, tears streaming down his face. Suki knew most of them had to be from the pain, that Sokka would never let his guard down like that in battle and the only reason he would’ve cracked was from how much it hurt, but she couldn’t help but feel that a few of them were from the stress and the fear too.

Though the odds were against them, somehow, Suki managed to get Sokka into the airship with her and Toph. She helped him into a chair before running to the controls, taking over to get the ship back on track from the inside this time. It was hard to focus with Sokka still shaking and sobbing behind her, but she glanced back to see Toph holding his hand and that gave her enough of a boost to keep going. He wasn’t alone. Someone was there for him until she could be too. Even if it hurt to hear him crying. Even if Toph was too young to have to fill that role.

“Are you okay?” asked Toph, her tone softer and more caring than Suki could ever remember hearing it.

Sokka nodded, but he didn’t open his eyes. “It hurts.”

“Where? What hurts?”

“My left. Shoulder, wrist, leg, _everything_.”

They went quiet after that, and Suki turned to realize that it was because Toph traded her comforting hand for an entire hug. Sokka held her back with one arm, his left wrapped around his stomach as he leaned against her shoulder. Suki almost didn’t want to ask them to part, but she knew she had little choice given the circumstances and had to ask Toph for help regardless. Putting her in charge of the controls might not have been the best idea, and normally, Suki wouldn’t have done it, but this was different. Sokka needed help and all Toph had to do was hold the wheel steady. The path was clear. They were okay.

Admittedly, Suki was terrified to leave Sokka and Toph alone while she ran to the medical bay, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She grabbed the supplies she needed and got back to the others as quickly as possible, checking on Toph before kneeling beside Sokka. It was bad. She asked him to lift his leg on a crate so she would be able to get a better look at it, and all he could do in response was shake his head. Suki ended up having to move it for him, which hurt so bad a whole fresh stream of tears started to flow from his eyes. Suki reached out to give his hand a squeeze, carefully brushing his cheeks with her other fingers.

“Just take a deep breath for me, okay?” Sokka nodded, but he was barely able to follow along her slow, exaggerated breaths. The drops kept sliding down his cheeks, the fingers of his left hand digging into his side. “Where does it hurt? Sokka. Answer me. Please.”

“Shoulder,” mumbled Sokka, still not opening his eyes. A sob broke out between words and Suki quickly gave his right hand another squeeze. “My— My shoulder and my wrist, and my— sorry, it just hurts. It really hurts.”

“I know, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”

“My— My leg. My whole leg, it— it burns from my shin all the way up to my hip, it just— it hurts _so bad_.”

“Okay.” Suki squeezed his hand one last time before sliding up to his good shoulder and rubbing it reassuringly. Still, Sokka wouldn’t open his eyes and his face was getting ever wetter, but she didn’t push him. She reached for the bandages at her side. “Is it okay if I wrap your leg? You don’t have to say yes. Whatever feels best for you right now.”

It took a minute, but Sokka agreed and Suki thanked him with a gentle hug before proceeding. She carefully pulled his shoe off, sliding his pantleg up to his thigh before she started to wrap the bandage around his toes. Suki was no medical professional, and she didn’t know exactly where the damage was or how severe it got, but she knew it couldn’t just go untreated until they were able to get to the healers. She knew she was doing the right thing as she unrolled the bandages all around Sokka’s foot and climbing up his leg until she reached the very top of his thigh where she could tie it, but that didn’t make it easier.

That didn’t stop her from feeling guilty whenever she pulled too tightly and Sokka let out a whimper. That didn’t stop it from aching whenever she reached a particularly bad spot and a sharp inhale and whole new wave of tears took over Sokka’s face. When she finally finished with the bandages, Suki didn’t even have it in her to look at his shoulder, instead choosing to wrap her arms around his stomach for a comforting embrace. Sokka held back with his right arm, though his left didn’t move a bit. His heartbeat was quick, and his breaths were shallow, but Suki didn’t mind. It was there. He was alive and safe and there and that was the only thing that mattered.

Sokka’s arm didn’t seem to be in quite as bad shape as his leg. There were definitely several broken bones down there, but Sokka’s shoulder was just put under intense strain from however long he’d been holding Toph before Suki arrived. Since there was little she could do for it and it ached badly when she touched him, Suki chose not to press too far with it and wrapped only the base of his shoulder to give him more support. The moment she finished, Suki intended to go back and take over for Toph, but it didn’t quite happen that way. Sokka clung to her waist, pressing his forehead against her shoulder as his tears soaked her sleeve.

“Hey.” Suki wrapped an arm around Sokka’s good shoulder, giving him a big hug as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I know you’re in a lot of pain right now so it’s hard to see it, but you did a good job. You know that, right?”

“Okay.” That wasn’t the convincing answer that she was hoping for, but if it was what she could get, she would take it. “I’m sorry I asked you to let me die. I just— I love you so much. And Toph. I didn’t— I didn’t want to see you— see you—”

“I know. It’s okay. I love you too, Sokka. Always.”

She pulled him in closer to her, allowing herself a moment to sink into his grasp. Maybe the war wasn’t quite over yet, maybe the aftermath would be worse than she expected, but it didn’t matter. Not as long as they had each other.

* * *

Given the severity of his injuries, Sokka was unable to meet up with the others right away, and Suki chose to accompany him rather than making him go to the infirmary all on his own.

His spirits were lifted once Ozai was defeated—he definitely had his goofiness back by the time they reunited with Aang—but it was clear he was still in a significant amount of pain. Sokka either hopped or dragged his toes whenever he had to move, though he was flopping his arm about like it was no big deal already. He tried to insist on going straight over to find his family and friends, but Toph, Aang, and Suki herself managed to convince him that he needed to stop at the infirmary before anything else. At the very least, he needed to get a crutch so he would be able to move without having to rely on his friends.

Of course, the moment the healer laid eyes on him, Sokka was admitted for a full exam. That clearly made him anxious, especially because he didn’t know what was happening to his family and friends on the outside, or if his dad and sister were even alive, but Suki was there for him. She was always going to be there for him. She held his hand while the healer checked on his vitals, when she commented on how fast his heart was racing, on the fact that his eyes wouldn’t stop watering whenever she moved his leg or his shoulder. Sokka apologized several times for “acting stupid” or “sounding like a baby”, but Suki never accepted it. He didn’t need to apologize for anything.

“Suki?” She’d given him space when he requested it but bolted right back over when he said her name with a shaking voice. The healer was unwrapping the bandages from his leg and tears were already flowing down his cheeks again, his right hand twisting around the fabric of his pants until Suki traded it for her fingers. He let out a shallow breath, a faint sob cracking through his words. “Sorry, I’m fine, it just— it hurts.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Suki squeezed his hand tightly, biting down on her own lip as concerned boiled in her heart and rushed through her veins. “Just breathe with me. I know it hurts but it’ll feel better if you breathe, okay? Just—”

Unfortunately, Suki didn’t get a chance to ease him into the breathing because at that exact moment, the door burst open and Katara came running in. She all but sprinted over to Sokka, throwing her arms around him before realizing his left arm was injured too and carefully shifting her embrace to be more comfortable for him. Sokka lifted his right hand to hold her back, his fingers gripping her shirt as he rested his head against her shoulder. Neither of them said a word for several long seconds, just holding each other and taking in the fact that they’d both survived.

“Are you all right?” asked Katara. Her words were thick with emotion, her arms squeezing him tight. She released only when Sokka groaned, her eyes widening with concern and brimming tears. “I— I saw Aang and he told me you guys were in here. He said he didn’t know exactly what happened, but you needed to see a healer before— I was so scared. I already couldn’t find Dad and I didn’t know if— if you were—”

Sokka didn’t say anything, only reaching his good arm out for another, gentler hug. Immediately, Katara leaned in again, holding him close until the healer returned to the room and she had to sit down on the other side of him. Suki reached out for Sokka’s hand to grasp it once more, giving him a reassuring squeeze when he laced their fingers together. She was a little worried that the gesture would be unwanted, especially after he’d been touched by Katara so many times and she knew his body was sore all over, but it was okay. Sokka needed the hand, especially when the healer got to work.

The most helpful part was having Katara there because she was able to heal his shoulder to a point where he no longer had to hold it around his waist for comfort. Still, they wrapped more bandages across his upper arm and chest for support because his muscles were too strained to fully fix. That part wasn’t bad. It was over in a few minutes and Sokka squeezed Suki’s hand for the pain. But his leg was another story. The second they started unwrapping the bandages, a fresh wave of tears dripped down Sokka’s face and he did nothing but shake his head when asked whether he was okay. Then Katara tried to heal him and even that barely helped, and they ended up having to stop because it burned so badly.

With just how severely it ached, they ended up doing nothing as Sokka begged for them to stop. A long several minutes passed as Sokka gripped his pantleg, Suki holding his other hand. It was hard to convince him to try again, to let Katara and the healer work because he needed to do _something_ for the leg they were pretty sure almost shattered in multiple places, but he did it. He allowed them to pull off the rest of the bandages, to deal with the bruises and the surface scrapes, and then they started poking around the back of his calf and that hurt so bad Sokka squeezed Suki’s hand so hard her heart skipped a beat, followed by him doubling over and turning to vomit.

“Sorry.” Suki kept her left hand on the side of Sokka’s head, holding him close to her and gently rocking him back and forth. His eyes were closed again, his breathing rugged and his words quiet and pained. “I’m— I’m sorry. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. You’re okay.” He shook his head as Katara lifted a cold washcloth to his forehead, and Suki hugged him closer. “Sokka, it’s okay. We’re not judging you. It’s fine.”

“I— I didn’t mean to get sick. It— It hurts. It just— it really hurts.”

“I know. It’s okay. It hurts more because the adrenaline’s all wearing off now. Just breathe with me, okay? Just breathe. I know it’s hard and it hurts but you have to let them take care of your leg so we can go find the others.”

“You don’t have to stay with me.” Sokka didn’t lift his cheek from Suki’s shoulder despite his words, and she responded only by smoothing out his hair. He didn’t understand how important he was to them. He didn’t understand that being in there and making sure he was okay mattered just as much as checking on anyone else. “You should go. Make sure everyone else is okay.”

“Not until we get your leg fixed up,” said Suki, turning to kiss the side of his head. Katara gave Sokka a little hug too, wiping his brow with her washcloth another time. He was still shaking from getting sick, his eyes bloodshot from the tears. “You matter just as much as anyone else out there right now.”

“And we’re almost done,” Katara added, glancing over to Suki to confirm that she was taking the right course of action. Suki nodded slightly. He needed the reassurance that he could go look for the rest of their friends soon. “We just have to get your bandages on now, okay? Do you think you can let us do that?”

“Mm.” Sokka lifted one hand, chewing on the edge of his thumbnail anxiously. “Feel sick. Hurts. Can we leave it?”

“You have _multiple_ severe fractures, Sokka. We can’t just leave it. I’m sorry that it hurts. Just keep breathing, okay? It’ll be over soon.”

But ‘soon’ felt like an eternity when Sokka was biting his lip to keep himself from screaming. ‘Soon’ felt like another lifetime was added to the count with each tear that slid down Sokka’s cheek. Suki did everything she could to help him, squeezing his hand when it hurt and kissing his cheek during breaks, but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t stop him from throwing up a second time from how severe the pain was when they wrapped the bandage around his shin. It didn’t stop him from sobbing when they made it up to his thigh because his leg was barely hanging on up there. It didn’t stop him from soaking Suki’s shoulder with tears when they finally finished not because he was emotional, but because he was in such miserable amounts of pain.

The healer gave them space once his leg was fully wrapped, and Katara gave him a big hug around his stomach, careful to avoid his injured arm. Suki held him as close as he was comfortable with, whispering reassurances and comfort into his ear. Sokka didn’t stop apologizing. He just kept crying and saying he was sorry for it. Saying he was sorry for keeping them from their friends and the festivities. For being so pathetic he threw up instead of tolerating the pain and getting it over with. Suki and Katara accepted none of them. Maybe he was sorry, but he didn’t have to be. He was fifteen and the entire left side of his body was in searing pain from a near-death experience. He deserved the tears.

“Are you going to be okay?” asked Suki gently, brushing his hair back with her fingers. Sokka nodded, staring down at the crutch held beneath his arm. He hadn’t tried to stand yet. “I have to go find the girls, but I’ll come back for you as soon as I can, okay? Katara’s going to help you for now.”

“Okay.” Sokka sniffed when Suki leaned down to kiss the top of his head, one last tear escaping across his cheek. He didn’t resist when Katara offered an arm to help support him alongside the crutch, nor the hand Suki loaned him for one final squeeze. “I’m— I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

Suki had been just about to leave, so the siblings would be able to figure things out on their own, but she stopped when Sokka spoke. For a second, she thought he was referring to how tightly he’d squeezed her hand, but then she realized she was wrong. Sokka wasn’t talking about physical pain, he was talking about the stress of the situation. The emotional turmoil she’d gone through having to help Sokka in the aftermath of his injury on top of having almost died herself. Suki slid their fingers together one more time, staring straight into his eyes. Maybe it did hurt. Maybe it hurt a lot. But that didn’t mean she would’ve changed a single thing she did that day. That didn’t mean she’d ever regret putting herself through it.

“You don’t ever have to apologize, Sokka. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to, but I did because I love you.” Suki leaned down, pressing one last kiss to his forehead, and pulling his frizzy hair behind his ears. “Get some rest, okay? We’ll talk about this later.”

Part of her didn’t want to leave. Part of her was aching to turn back around and scoop Sokka into her arms and promise him it would all be okay. But she couldn’t. There were other people relying on her too. So, instead of following her instincts, Suki just turned around and blew one more kiss to Sokka before she left. He would be okay with Katara until they reunited. She knew he would.

* * *

Relaxing was almost weird after years of being caught in a never-ending war.

They were all gathered in the Jasmine Dragon that night, joking around and spending time together in a way that was just fun and calm for once. Zuko and his uncle made tea for everyone, Aang and Katara were talking outside, and Toph and Sokka were still joking about the painting he’d done. Apparently, after hearing Sokka had drawn Suki as a firebender, Toph was eager to know more about what he’d done and left Sokka reciting a description of his image filled with a lot of unnecessary details because he could never stop himself from rambling. Suki smiled as she watched them from a few feet away, sipping at her tea and finally allowing herself to breathe.

“…and I did Zuko’s hair like that instead of all floppy because it looks like fire, kind of like yours in the morning.” Suki could almost hear Zuko rolling his eyes behind her, while Sokka only grinned. “It’s called taking artistic liberty with your work. I see people in real life and my mind has a way of making it more creative and exciting.”

“Because we’re not already exciting enough?” Toph crossed her arms, slowly shaking her head. “We ended a war as kids and you still want more?”

“Well, I’m not saying I want _more_ , I just think that for the sake of art, we should be more visually appealing.”

It wasn’t the comment that made them fall silent, it was the playful punch Toph directed at Sokka’s shoulder after he said it. The moment her knuckles collided with his skin, he squeezed his eyes shut tight, his fingers gripping around his brush so tightly Suki could hear it crack. She rose to her feet quickly, running around to the other side of the table he was seated at and kneeling down. She placed one hand on his knee and the other on his shoulder, eyes wide with fear while his hands shook and Toph begged to understand what happened.

“Sorry.” Sokka’s speech was breathy and cracked with wheezes. He didn’t open his eyes despite Toph squeezing his left hand and Suki holding his right knee, only pressing his eyelids down tight and taking a deep breath through his nose. He cut Toph off before she could say anything else. “You’re fine, Toph. It’s— I’m overreacting. Sorry. You’re okay. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“No, you hurt your shoulder, didn’t you?” Her words were cracking too, and she gripped Sokka’s hand tighter. Suki resisted the urge to ask her to back off, knowing that Sokka could control his own boundaries. “I’m so sorry, Sokka. I totally forgot that you— I shouldn’t have done that. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine, seriously. I just have a pathetic pain tolerance, I guess.”

“That’s not true.” Suki patted his knee reassuringly, gently rubbing circles around it. “Do you remember what the healer told us, Sokka? You had all kinds of issues from the strain and the force. Didn’t she say you almost even tore your cartilage? Not to mention the bruising down your whole body from the impact. That’s not low pain tolerance, that’s a serious injury. You can’t blame yourself for that. In fact, I think I’d judge you more if you said that it _didn’t_ hurt.”

“Yeah.” Though he nodded, Sokka didn’t seem the least bit convinced nor reassured. He pushed his chair back suddenly, pulling away when Suki reached an arm out to help him. “I’m fine, Suki. I think I’m just going to go lie down for a bit.”

“I’m sorry, Sokka,” said Toph quietly.

He barely acknowledged her words, tilting his chin downward and turning to walk away. Sokka was still utterly reliant on his crutch at that point, unable to put more than his toes on the ground without inflicting a severe amount of pain to his bones. His whole left side was still recovering from the bruising too, which wrapped around his leg all the way up his back and across his shoulder. Even knowing this, Suki found it hard to watch him walk away. He stumbled on every step, his left arm clearly struggling to hold the crutch due to how badly it was still messed up.

Despite Sokka’s insistence that he was okay, Suki refused to let him go off on his own and followed him out of the room just moments later. She quietly asked for the others to stay behind, not wanting Sokka to be overwhelmed by the situation. Unfortunately, it seemed to already be too late because he didn’t go to lie down at all. In fact, Sokka was sitting outside the building when she found him, leaning back against the wall with his left leg stretched out in front of him and his face buried in his hands. Suki hesitated before sitting down beside him, carefully wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and pulling him into an embrace.

“Sorry.” Sokka leaned into Suki’s shoulder, pressing his forehead against her sleeve. She could feel his tears soaking through to her skin, but she didn’t say a word about it. He was allowed to hurt, mentally and physically. She’d never judge him for that. “I’m such a jerk.”

“What?” Suki rubbed his right shoulder reassuringly, raising one hand to hold the back of his head. “No, you’re not. What are you talking about?”

“I yelled at Toph. It— It was an accident and she just— she just wanted to help, and I was so _mean_. All I had to do was tell her that it was okay, and I didn’t, I just kept saying I was fine and being mean, and I— I’m the _worst_.”

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong, Sokka. It’s okay. It was an accident, but you’re allowed to be upset about it. It hurt. It was uncomfortable. Toph isn’t upset with you, I know she isn’t. She just felt bad for forgetting and crossing your boundaries. It’s not her fault and it’s not yours either. Neither of you did anything wrong, it was just an accident. Okay? You’re all right.”

“Mm.” Finally, Sokka moved an arm to hold Suki, his right pulling her close and his left staying wrapped around his own waist. His entire body was shaking, but Suki couldn’t tell whether it was from the emotions, the pain, or the chilly night air. “I’m really sorry for being so stupid about all this. It just— it hasn’t stopped. Since the first fall, everything— everything hurts. Katara keeps trying to help but there are so many scratches and so much bruising, she can’t— they can’t do anything for my leg or my shoulder beyond surface injuries and it hurts so bad.”

“I know.” She shifted, adjusting to make the positioning more comfortable for Sokka as his tears ran down her sleeve. Those might have been partially from the stress, but Suki knew they were generated from the pain too. The fingers on Sokka’s left hand were squeezing around his waist, twisting his shirt as his leg twitched beneath him. “It’s okay. Is there anything I can do? I could bring you some warm towels, or…?”

“No. I just want it to stop.”

The only thing Suki could do in response to that was hug him even closer. She ran a hand through his hair, gently combing loose strands behind his ears and kissing his temple when he nuzzled into her shoulder. More than anything in the world, Suki wanted to take the pain from him. She wanted to hold him and make it all better, but no amount of comforting seemed to work. None of it could magically dull the searing pains that took over the left side of his body, stopping him from even engaging in a full embrace.

It wasn’t fair. Sokka was fifteen and he was carrying severe injuries from a war he never should’ve had to fight in. Suki was fifteen and she was comforting him because she was the only one he felt safe opening up to because of the way the world treated him. It especially wasn’t fair that he had to hurt so much. That everyone else was bruised and cut but he was beat to a point he might not recover from. That even Zuko was healing well from being struck by _lightning_ and Sokka still woke up crying every night from how much it hurt. That Suki couldn’t be there for him every night when he woke up. When he sobbed in his sleep and had to be coaxed out of it.

“We should go back inside,” said Suki quietly. She played a little with Sokka’s hair again, leaning back to better brush away the tears from his cheeks. They weren’t all gone before another slid to take their place, Sokka’s fingers squeezing his stomach as his shoulder slumped and shifted painfully. “We’ll get you some warm towels and something to drink and you can just lie down for a while, okay? I’ll sit with you while you fall asleep.”

“Everyone else is still celebrating,” Sokka argued, his words thick with emotion. “I don’t want to ruin it.”

“You’re not ruining anything. It’s okay to take a step back. Everyone understands.”

“But all of them got hurt too and they’re not going to bed early.”

“They didn’t get hurt as badly as you.” It was hard for Suki to keep her tone level, understanding that fighting with him would only make things worse. “And it’s not just you either. Remember we had to postpone this whole thing because Zuko was really sick from the complications of his recovery? I know it feels like you’re alone, but you’re not. We all came out of this with something.”

“I know.” Sokka inhaled sharply, his fingers twisting around Suki’s back. “I’m sorry for being selfish.”

“You’re not being selfish. You’re in pain. I understand.” She waited for Sokka to respond, but he didn’t. He didn’t give her so much as a nod. “You ready to go back inside now? Everyone’s probably worried.”

“Okay.” He sniffed, starting to pull back but allowing Suki to intervene and drape his left arm over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

Suki only smiled. There was no thanks necessary for helping him. She could barely look at the way he dragged his leg while she was holding him—she couldn’t imagine having to watch him suffer from afar.

* * *

_“I need to talk to you before you see Sokka.”_

Suki replayed the words in her head a thousand times, as if they’d been said to her face rather than written on a rushed piece of paper. She’d tried to figure it out on her own, to understand why Katara would feel the need to add that post-script to Sokka’s letter, and she couldn’t think of any good explanation. The best she thought of was that Katara wanted to give her the shovel talk, and that was a ridiculously optimistic idea. Realistically, Katara would never do that to Suki, and that was what scared her the most. That whatever they needed to talk about was something really serious.

Regardless of how worried she was, Suki set off for the Southern Water Tribe. She hadn’t seen Sokka in months at that point, and she was desperate to get to be by his side again. She tried to think of a million different things on the way there, but nothing was strong enough to defeat the overwhelming sense of fear she felt for Sokka and his situation. The healers said from the beginning that his leg might not fully heal. That his shoulder could be partially immobile. If that was what happened, Suki didn’t know what she would do. She didn’t know what _Sokka_ would do, and that was the part that terrified her.

The moment she arrived at the tribe, Suki was greeted by Katara standing on the deck. She must’ve seen Suki on the horizon and came as quickly as she could, somehow beating Sokka despite how eager he always was to see her. Suki tried not to think too hard about the possibility that he couldn’t move. That something was really wrong and the reason he hadn’t come running and calling her name was because he could barely stand up at all. Suki hopped off her ship, her brow knit in concern when she looked to Katara, whose arms were crossed in a terrifyingly serious way.

“Hey.” Katara glanced over her shoulder, as if she expected Sokka to walk up at any moment. Suki instinctively followed her gaze, but admittedly wasn’t surprised that Sokka was nowhere to be seen. “My dad is with Sokka right now so we have a bit, but they’ll be back really soon, so… I just want to fill you in on everything really quick.”

“Okay.” With every second that passed, Suki’s heart pounded harder in her chest. He wasn’t okay, was he? Something happened and Sokka wasn’t okay. “Is he all right? Sokka?”

“Yeah, he’s— no. I mean, it’s— it’s up and down. He has good days, and he has bad days, but he’s not— he started physical therapy I think two weeks ago now? And he’s not doing well with it at all. His shoulder is getting there, it’s just really stiff, but his leg is… it’s _really_ messed up. He’s had days where he can’t even get out of bed because it’s throbbing so bad. But he won’t acknowledge it at all outside of those days. He either spends all day in bed crying because it hurts so bad or he goes about his business like nothing’s wrong and he ends up making it even worse. There’s no in between. He knows his limits, but he won’t stick to them at all.”

Suki opened her mouth to say something to Katara but didn’t get the chance before Sokka came running down the docks, Hakoda standing a few feet behind his son with an apologetic look on his face. Clearly, he’d been trying to keep Sokka away as long as he could, but it wasn’t easy. Neither was watching Sokka drag his leg beneath him, his toes never leaving the ground as he rushed over to tackle Suki with a hug. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, providing an extra level of support for his left that she hoped he wouldn’t consciously notice. She wasn’t taking pity on him, she just didn’t want him to have to hurt.

Of course, seeing Suki put Sokka in an instantly good mood and he didn’t stop smiling the whole time they were telling each other about what they’d been doing. Suki started to realize why Katara insisted on talking to her immediately, because Sokka was talking as if everything was going perfect. As if he never spent days in bed crying because of the pain. As if he didn’t wince or let out a sharp breath every time he placed his left foot on the ground. As if he didn’t still have a pair of crutches leaning against the wall beside the projects he was proudly showing her.

Regardless of how badly she wanted to ask him to just sit down, Suki followed along with whatever Sokka wanted to do. She managed to get through a full day before he asked her to train with him, and she almost came up with an excuse to resist. Instead, she accepted the offer with the promise they’d go easy because “she wasn’t very experienced in the snow”. If Sokka saw through her bullshit, he didn’t say anything. All he did was grin and wrap an arm around Suki, assuring her that he would help teach her how to fight on the unfamiliar surface.

It was fun at first, when Sokka was showing her little techniques and ways of managing the terrain. She actually learned a lot and managed to sneak a few kisses whenever Sokka moved to adjust her stance. But then they started sparring, and that crossed his threshold of pain tolerance. Suki went as slow as she could, being gentle on Sokka’s left especially, but at a certain point, it was just too much, and his endurance was too weakened. Sokka dropped his club down to the ground near his left foot, leaning heavily on the handle and pushing the pressure away from his leg.

“You okay?” asked Suki, already reaching an arm out to help him. He pulled away before she could, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut. “Sokka, hey. You need to sit down for a minute?”

“No.” He might have refused the offer, but he just about looked ready to pass out. His breathing was strained, his hand shaking on his club. “I’m fine. Sorry. Lightheaded. Think I just need some water.”

Sokka lifted his club from the ground, probably intending to go after the water he claimed he needed but didn’t make it one full step before his knee buckled beneath him. Suki barely knelt down fast enough to catch him before he could crash right into the snow, her own heart racing and her eyes widening in concern. At first, she thought for sure that Sokka would pull away again, but he didn’t. Not at first. Instead, he relaxed into her grasp, one hand reaching for his left leg as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. Suki sat back on the snow behind her, helping Sokka to stretch his leg out before brushing her hands down his snowy face.

He was clearly in pain. The way his gloved hand squeezed around his thigh and his eyes refused to open gave it all away. Suki hesitated before reaching out again but slid an arm around his right shoulder and nudged him into her chest. Sokka quickly eased into the embrace, not refusing when Suki leaned down to kiss his temple. His breaths shook as he shifted into her arms, visibly swirling in the freezing air around them. For a long moment, Suki said nothing because Sokka didn’t either, they just held each other in the snow, and she did her best to pretend she wasn’t absolutely freezing her ass off.

“You really sure you’re okay?” Of course, despite the fact that he was obviously not, Sokka nodded against her shoulder. “Please don’t lie to me, Sokka. I know you have a lot of issues with your self-worth, but—”

“I don’t have any issues with my self-worth,” Sokka mumbled, his good arm squeezing around her back. “I like myself an unhealthy amount.”

“Yeah, an unhealthily _small_ amount. Just listen, all right? I’m not going to judge you if you need help. I’m not going to think less of you if you’re in pain. Please, please be honest with me. I don’t care if you have to stop or if it hurts, all I care about is that you’re okay.”

“Fine, I just— I thought I would be getting better, you know? I mean, I— I know they said it would take my leg a long time to heal but I guess I just— I didn’t think it would hurt _so_ much for _so_ long. It’s been _months_ now and it still hurts so bad if I stand on it for more than a few minutes or if I try to move like a warrior, and I don’t— do you remember what the healer told me right after it happened? That it might never heal right? I think— I think there’s a really big part of me that believes that. That maybe I’m just going to keep trying and failing until I can’t even walk anymore. Some mornings I wake up and it still hurts so bad I have to use my crutches and I just wonder like— what if this is it? What if this is what the rest of my life looks like?”

By far the hardest part about the situation was that Suki didn’t know. She didn’t know if the healer was right, if Sokka was going to be in pain for the rest of his life. As much as it hurt to admit it, it could be true. Sokka’s leg might not have healed the way it was supposed to, which was scarily likely considering the way it broke, and if that was true, there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing she could to do stop him from hurting. To stop him from having to go to sleep every night wondering how much pain he’d be in when he woke up. But she could try to reassure him, and with few other options on her hands, that was what she decided to do.

“It’s okay.” Suki hugged him close, brushing off what she hoped was a melted snowflake on his cheek. He was quick to shake his head, to disagree with her statement, but Suki refused to let him go that easily. “You’re already doing so much better than you were the last time I saw you, you know that? I’m so proud of you for how far you’ve come. I know it’s not easy with everything happening but you’re doing so well. You just have to keep trying.”

“But what’s the point?” asked Sokka. He didn’t sound like he was arguing, just like he was tired. Done with it all. “If it’s never going to stop hurting, then why should I try at all? Why shouldn’t I just go over to the docks and—”

“Because messed up leg or not, we care about you. We all do. Your family, the gang, me. We love you, Sokka. _I_ love you.”

Sokka didn’t say anything in response, but the way his fingers twisted around the back of Suki’s coat and how he smiled when she kissed his nose convinced her that he would be okay. Maybe not forever, but at least for a little longer than one day.

* * *

From the moment Sokka agreed to come visit, Suki hadn’t been able to stop smiling.

They hadn’t seen each other in a couple months again, and regardless of how many letters they’d sent, it was never enough. Suki was aching to hold Sokka in her arms again, to have him close and know that he was okay because she _knew_ things couldn’t have been as perfect as he was claiming they were. Especially since he was still struggling to walk when she left him the last time. Since a lot more time had passed since then, several weeks and a couple months, Suki was hoping beyond anything that Sokka would be doing better.

He wasn’t quite.

Sokka was smiling when he hoped off the boat and he called out for Suki the same way he always did, but he ran over to her with a stiff leg and hugged her standing on the ball of his foot. Suki furrowed her brow and almost asked whether he was okay, but Sokka didn’t say anything and pulled her in closer. It was better than him refusing to talk at all, she supposed, but it wasn’t like they were getting anywhere. Sokka was clearly repressing, clearly lying about how well he was doing, and that didn’t bode well for how the rest of their vacation was going to go.

Regardless, Suki chose not to push it and did the best she could to enjoy her time with Sokka. They laughed a lot, talked a lot, kissed a lot, and the whole first day was practically perfect. Sokka did seem like he was struggling from time to time, and he _definitely_ wrapped an arm around Suki for support as often as he did it as a gesture of love, but he wouldn’t talk about it at all. He dodged every question she threw his way, no matter how simple she believed it was. He said he got up late because he was on vacation (he looked ready to cry swinging his leg over the bed), he didn’t want to go on long walks because he had everything he needed right there (he started limping if he stood for more than five to fifteen minutes depending), and vehemently denied having any bad dreams (he woke her up whimpering his very first night there).

It was only the morning of Sokka’s third day there when things started to take a twist. When his stiff leg started looking more like a limp regardless of how long he stood. When Sokka insisted he join Suki at her usual morning training session despite the fact he looked ready to fall over just standing around. She begged him to sit down after only a few minutes of training, but he assured her he was fine. Claimed he wasn’t limping. Suki let him spar just for the opportunity to get back at him for his lies. It wasn’t a good idea. At first, it went okay, but then she knocked him to the floor, and he didn’t come back up again.

“Are you okay?” asked Suki, kneeling down at his side. She hadn’t even thrown him that hard, but he was squeezing his eyes shut like the whole world was spinning around him. Sokka threw his hands over his face, letting out a deep breath but not saying a word. “Sokka, hey. Talk to me. What hurts? Is your leg okay?”

“I’m fine.” That got him to sit up quickly, but the second he put weight on his left arm for support, he dropped back down again. The pained breath that flowed out his lips gave him away. Suki almost immediately reached an arm around him, trying to help, but he refused, yanking away and inhaling sharply. “Stop it, Suki! I’m fine. I’m fucking fine! Just leave me _alone_. I don’t need your help all the time!”

Somehow, his words hurt than any blow that he inflicted while they were sparring. It wasn’t fair for Sokka to say that. He protected her the same way she did for him, if not more so. They both had serious issues with keeping one another safe and it was hypocritical for him to lash out that way. It was unfair for him to act like what she was doing was wrong when he was clearly in so much pain. Suki was about to say something to him, to point out the fact that he was wrong to shout at her regardless of the circumstances, but then she stopped. Not because she suddenly thought it was okay, but because he was _crying_.

Sokka had turned his head away from Suki, his left arm wrapping around his waist and his right leg bending toward his torso. He was quiet, only sniffing as he squeezed his fingers around the stomach of his shirt, but the tear that rolled down his cheek was shining and visible. Suki gently tapped his shoulder before urging him into her arms, helping him sit up and shift his leg as she pulled him close. Sokka’s face was entirely blank, but his eyes were already turning pink as he blinked, and another tear dripped down his cheek. It was then that Suki finally understood. He wasn’t angry at her, he was frustrated with himself.

“I’m sorry.” Sokka pressed his forehead against the crook of Suki’s neck, a shuddering breath escaping his lips as he slid his arms around her back. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I just— I didn’t want you to know my leg’s still— we weren’t even going that hard and I couldn’t— and my shoulder is— you’re so strong and I can’t even—I feel so fucking stupid.”

That wasn’t an easy thing to respond to. Suki understood better than almost anyone that Sokka struggled with feelings of inferiority, and she didn’t know how she was supposed to reassure him. She didn’t know what the magic thing to say was that would suddenly make him feel okay. At that point, it had been over a year since his injury, and if his leg still hurt that bad, there was every chance it wouldn’t stop. There was every chance his shoulder would ache every time he lifted it and his calf would throb from even the slightest amount of pressure.

“You don’t have to feel stupid,” said Suki softly. She pressed a kiss to Sokka’s temple when he shook his head, lifting a hand to discourage him from making the gesture again. “I know it’s really hard for you to believe, but I don’t care. I don’t care if your leg hurts. I don’t care if your shoulder hurts. You’re still you. You’re charming and hilarious and so, _so_ smart. Sokka, just be honest with me. Please. Please just tell me what’s wrong so I can help you. What aren’t you telling me?”

Of course, Sokka didn’t answer right away. He shifted against Suki’s shoulder, his fingers dragging a little way down her back and gripping at her shirt. Suki was almost sure that he would refuse to answer again, and when the silence went on, she accepted they wouldn’t have a conversation. Sokka wouldn’t tell her what was really bothering him, and she wouldn’t get to help him. But then he sniffed and turned his face out of Suki’s shoulder, taking a long, deep breath before he finally opened his mouth again.

“I’m sorry.” He bit down on his lip, dragging his hands over his face as he pulled back from Suki. She was quick to follow his movements, helping him shift his leg and sliding closer when his shoulders sagged. “I’m not trying to be like— it’s just— I don’t know. It’s been so long and I keep doing the physical therapy but it still hurts and the healers told me that— they don’t think my bones healed right in my leg, and my muscles are all messed up in my shoulder, so I can’t— I have to use a cane most of the time and it’s not getting better. It’s not and I just felt like if I told you that, you— you wouldn’t think I’m good enough for you anymore.”

“Sokka, I…” It was wrong. It was so, so wrong, she didn’t even know where to start. Suki reached out for Sokka’s hands, squeezing both tightly in her palms and staring to his forehead because he wouldn’t lift his chin. Because he wouldn’t look at _anyone_ when he was talking about something that hurt. “There is _nothing_ you could do that would make me stop loving you. Okay, I mean, if you went back to being a sexist pig like you were when we met then maybe— hey, I’m joking. I know you wouldn’t— _Sokka_.”

“But I’m just like him. I’m— I— when we met, I was pathetic. You were beating me up every time I tried to do anything, and you didn’t like me until I got better, and now I’m— I’m not that good anymore. I can’t even— I can barely do any of the stuff you taught me because it hurts so bad when I have to put weight on that leg or move my shoulder past a certain point and I— I know you said it doesn’t matter, but there are so many other warriors that would be so much better for you. I’m not the guy you fell in love with, Suki. I’m just— I’m just a mess who’s too embarrassed to even admit that it hurts.”

For Suki, _that_ was the part which hurt the most. That Sokka hated himself so much. That he couldn’t see how incredible he was, and how many accomplishments he had to be proud of. He didn’t see his charm, he saw insecurity. He didn’t see his strength, he saw weakness. Suki didn’t care what happened to him. She didn’t care if he was fine or if he limped or if he couldn’t walk at all. Sokka was still the guy she had a crush on after just a day on Kyoshi Island. He was still the boy who became overprotective and confided in her on the Serpent’s Pass. He was still the person who broke his leg and ruined his shoulder saving his friends—saving the _world_ —from death. He was still Sokka, and that was all she wanted.

“No, you’re not like him at all, Sokka.” Suki squeezed his hands one more time before reaching up to push his loose hairs back, brushing off his tears with the back of her hand. “The person I met on Kyoshi Island never would’ve opened up to me about all this. He would’ve lied to protect his manly image of himself, and to keep from having to face his— hey. Look at me. Sokka. It’s okay. I don’t care if your leg hurts, or your shoulder hurts, or you’re having a bad day, and you just want to sit down and cry. When I look at you, I don’t see a mess. I see the guy who broke me out of prison. Who holds my hand in big crowds. Who calls my name and kisses my cheek every time he sees me. I don’t see anything weak. I see the love of my life.”

She thought she said something wrong when Sokka looked away again. When he let his head tilt downward and the tears dripped off his cheeks and crashed down on his knees. But then he looked up, biting down on the edge of his curled lip, and she realized she said the right thing. Sokka held out his arms first, and Suki crawled into them when she realized he didn’t want to move his leg. She leaned forward for a kiss first, her thumb reaching up to brush his tears away from their lips. When the moment was over, she slid into his lap, leaning against his chest, and wrapping her arms around his stomach in the tightest embrace she could manage.

“I’m sorry,” mumbled Sokka, resting his chin on top of Suki’s head. “I love you.”

All she did in response was turn to press a gentle kiss on his neck. It didn’t matter how many times he thought he did something wrong. How many times he apologized for things he had no control over. Suki never felt the need to accept it because she knew it was nothing more than a coping mechanism. An inherent need for reassurance that she was more than happy to give him with every inch of her being.

“I love you too,” Suki whispered, squeezing her arms around his waist. “Always.”

* * *

She registered that she was falling before anything else.

Though her bigger worry should’ve been what she would be landing on, Suki was so shocked and terrified by what was happening that she found she didn’t care until she hit something and realized she survived. She spared the briefest moment to freak out over what happened, and then immediately launched back to her feet because she needed to find Sokka and Toph. Regardless of how sore she was from the fall, she had to know if they were okay.

Suki fought her way across the airships until she managed to make it to a functional one. She was ready to cry by the time she found herself freed of all the soldiers, covered in cuts and various smaller injuries, but she didn’t. Finding Sokka and Toph was more important than anything else. As quickly as she could, Suki made her way back over to where she’d left them. They had to still be there, or at least somewhere nearby. They had to.

They weren’t.

She let out a scream when she saw the figures of her friends falling through the air. Toph letting go of Sokka’s hand as he fell down toward her, both of them crashing to their inevitable doom. There was no way to survive it. They were too far up. They were dead because she was too late. She couldn’t help them. Suki’s eyes welled with tears as the explosions rang out around her. Focus lost to her perished friends, her fingers slipped from their place, and before she knew it, she did too.

“Suki.”

Above anything else, Suki should’ve been thinking about the fact that she was going to die, but all she could focus on was that her friends already had. They were gone in the water, lost in the impact, and no one would ever see them again because of her. Because as hard as she tried to get back to them before it was too late, she didn’t make it. Sokka and Toph fell, and their families and friends would have to live with that, even if they didn’t know it was because of her.

“Suki.”

Of course, the closer she got to the water, the more terrified of her own death Suki became. Falling seemed to happen in slow motion and even as she approached the surface, the seconds seemed to pass by in an agonizingly sluggish blur. Eventually, she came close to the water, close enough to feel the splashing and debris from the airships that crashed down before her, and she squeezed her eyes shut tight. That was it. Sokka was dead. Toph was dead. She was about to die too.

“Suki, babe, come on. Wake up.”

When she finally opened her eyes, Suki realized she wasn’t falling. She was lying right on her side, a hand dragging through her hair and a pair of lips kissing her forehead. Suki squeezed her eyes shut again, allowing the tears to roll down her cheeks as she reached her arms out to hug the bare torso which held her close. Sokka’s hair tickled her ears when she leaned into his shoulder, but she barely paid it any mind. Ticklish or not, she was desperate for the comfort, for the closeness, for the reassurance that he was still alive and there.

“It’s okay.” Sokka’s voice was quiet and thick with sleep, but he was there. He was calm, soothing, and encouraging in every way he could be. He gently rubbed Suki’s back when she nuzzled into his chest, allowing her to sink deeper into the pillows. “You’re safe, babe. It was just a dream.”

Years ago, she would’ve scolded herself for getting so emotional over something that wasn’t even real, but not anymore. Not after all those years of being married to Sokka and seeing him suffer through the worst nightmares possible. It wasn’t fair for her to comfort him and then turn around and judge herself. It was easier to accept it. It was _better_ to accept it. To melt into Sokka’s grasp and hug him tight. His skin was always warm even in the winter or when they stayed at the Southern Water Tribe, and she couldn’t imagine a better place to relax than in his arms.

“Just take some deep breaths, okay? You’re all right. I got you.”

There was a mutual understanding between them after so many sleepless nights. Neither of them much liked to talk after a nightmare, and it was easier to just hide away in the other’s arms until they started to feel better. Sometimes Sokka would try to break the tension with his iconic sense of humor, but he always recognized when it wasn’t the right time. That night was one of them. He kept his mouth shut while Suki leaned into his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, and giving her shoulders another rub.

“Sorry I woke you up,” Suki whispered.

Both of them had a habit of apologizing when they did nothing wrong. Sokka more than Suki—which apparently stemmed from a compulsive need for reassurance as they learned through therapy after the war—but both in their own way. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, whether they minded or not, it never felt okay to wake each other in the middle of the night. The apologies in both cases were almost entirely involuntary, even if it was for slightly different reasons between the two of them.

“That’s okay.” Sokka shifted his other arm from Suki’s hair, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her in even closer to him. His heartbeat was slow, relaxing, and Suki found it easier to breathe with her ear against his chest. “I don’t mind it.”

Suki turned her head back into Sokka’s shoulder, leaving a gentle kiss on his left shoulder. He shifted his forehead down against her, his warm breaths tickling the top of her hairline. Slowly, Suki lifted her hands around his back, her arms feeling every bone, every muscle, before wrapping around his shoulders and squeezing herself close. Sokka was clearly already falling back asleep again, but she didn’t mind it. He didn’t have to be awake for his embrace to bring her comfort. For his arms to remind her that the scary things were behind them and she had everything she needed right there.

“You going to be all right?” asked Sokka. Suki was almost surprised by the question, having thought he already fell back asleep. She nodded against his chest, letting her own eyes drift shut again as her arms sank into a natural position around his waist. “M’kay. Goodnight, my beautiful warrior.”

He was tacky as anything, but it made her smile. It made her smile and forget about everything that hurt. That they were forced to grow up so fast and that they spent the last of their childhood rebuilding from a war they never should’ve had to fight in the first place. Suki kissed his collarbone one more time, her smile growing wider when Sokka’s arms shifted to hug her close. Maybe his leg still hurt a lot sometimes. Maybe she had to help him carry things when he had a bad shoulder day. Maybe she woke up from bad dreams more often than she’d ever care to admit. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered when they had each other.

“Goodnight, my stupid genius.”

It was the best sleep she’d had in years.


End file.
